General Psychology

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CHAPTER SEVEN:
PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISORDERS AND
TREATMENT
TECHNIQUES

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Prepared by Abubeker A.
(BED,BA,MBA)
At the end of this unit, you are expected to:

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 Describe how psychological disorders are defined, as well as

the inherent difficulties in doing so.

 Identify the nature of Psychological disorders.

 Explain the causes of psychological disorders.

 Identify the different types, characteristic features of

psychological disorders.

 Explain different theories to explain the nature of

abnormality.
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 Discuss the treatment techniques.
 have three main criteria: abnormality,
maladaptiveness, and personal distress.

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 1. Abnormality
 Abnormal behavior is a behavior that deviates
from the behavior of the ‗typical‘ person; the
norm.
 A society‘s norm can be qualitative and
quantitative.
 culturally unacceptable ways and the behaviors
he/she exhibit violates the norm, standards, rules
and regulations of the society, this person is most
likely to have a psychological problem.
 The context in which „abnormal‟ behavior occurs
must be considered before deciding that it is
symptomatic of psychological disorders. 3
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in one way or another
creates a social, personal and occupational
problem on those who exhibit the behaviors.
 These behaviors seriously disrupt the day-to-day
activities of individuals that can increase the
problem more.

 Our subjective feelings of anxiety, stress, tension

and other unpleasant emotions determine whether
we have a psychological disorder.
 Hence, behavior that is abnormal, maladaptive, or
personally distressing might indicate that a person
has a psychological disorder. 4
 Current researchers believe that abnormalities in the working of
chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, may contribute to

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many psychological disorders.
 For example, over activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine, perhaps
caused by an overabundance of certain dopamine receptors in the
brain, has been linked to the bizarre symptoms of schizophrenia.

 three psychological perspectives: the psychoanalytic perspective, the learning,

and the cognitive behavioral perspectives.
A. Psychoanalytic perspective
 Sigmund Freud, the founder of the psychoanalytic approach, believed
that the human mind consists of three interacting forces:
 the id (a pool of biological urges),
 the ego (which mediates between the id and reality), and
 the superego (which represent society‘s moral standards).
 Abnormal behavior, in Freud‟s view, is caused by the ego‟s inability
to manage the conflict between the opposing demands of the id and
the superego.
 Especially important is the individuals‘ failure to manage the
conflicting of id‟s sexual impulses during childhood, and society‟s
sexual morality to resolve the earlier childhood emotional conflicts that 5
determine how to behave and think later.
Most mental and emotional disorders, in contrast to the

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psychoanalytic perspective, arise from inadequate or
inappropriate learning.
People acquire abnormal behaviors through the various kinds of
learning.
C. Cognitive perspective
Whether we accept it or not, the quality of our internal dialogue either
builds ourselves up or tear ourselves down and has profound effect on
our mental health.
The main theme of this perspective is that self-defeating thoughts lead to
the development of negative emotions and self-destructive behaviors.
People's ways thinking about events in their life determines their
emotional and behavioral patterns.
Most of the time our thinking patterns in one way or another affects our
emotional and behavioral wellbeing in either positive or negative ways.
Hence, if there is a disturbance in on our thinking, it may manifest in our
display of emotions and behaviors. Our environmental and cultural 6
experiences in our life play a major role in the formation of our thinking
style.
 is a condition characterized by abnormal
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

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is the study of psychological disorders,
including their symptoms, etiology (i.e., their causes), and
treatment.
The term psychopathology can also refer to the manifestation of a
psychological disorder.
there are many types of ppsychological disorders, mood disorder,
anxiety disorder and personality disorder.

are characterized by a serious change in mood from depressed to

elevated feelings causing disruption to life activities.
Depressive disorder is characterized by overall feelings of
desperation and inactivity.
Elevated moods are characterized by mania or hypomania.
The cycling between both depressed and manic moods is
characteristic of bipolar mood disorders.
In addition to type and subtype of mood, these disorders also vary
in intensity and severity.
For example, dysthymic disorder is a lesser form of major
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depression and cyclothymic disorder is recognized as a similar, but
less severe form of bipolar disorder.
 The disorders include Major Depression, Dysthymic Disorder,
Bipolar Disorder, and Cyclothymia.

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is characterized by depressed mood,
diminished interest in activities previously enjoyed, weight
disturbance, sleep disturbance, loss of energy, difficulty
concentrating, and often includes feelings of hopelessness and
thoughts of suicide.
is often considered a lesser, but more persistent form
of depression. Many of the symptoms are similar except to a lesser
degree. Also, dysthymia, as opposed to Major Depression is steadier
rather than periods of normal feelings and extreme lows.

is characterized by periods of extreme highs (called

mania) and extreme lows as in Major Depression.
Bipolar Disorder is subtyped either I (extreme or hypermanic
episodes) or II (moderate or hypomanic episodes).
Like Dysthymia and Major Depression, Cyclothymia 8
is considered a lesser form of Bipolar Disorder.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be beneficial in

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some situations.
It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention.
Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or
anxiousness, and involve excessive fear or anxiety.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and
affect nearly 30 percent of adults at some point in their lives.
However, anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of
effective treatments are available.
Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives.
Anxiety disorders can cause people into trying to avoid
situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. Job
performance, school work and personal relationships can be affected.
In general, for a person to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, the
fear or anxiety must:
 Be out of proportion to the situation or age inappropriate
 Hinder your ability to function normally
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 Anxiety Disorders categorize a large number of disorders where the
primary feature is abnormal or inappropriate anxiety. The disorders

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include:-
A) Panic Disorder is characterized by a series of panic attacks.
 A panic attack is an inappropriate intense feeling of fear or
discomfort including many of the following symptoms:
 heart palpitations,
 trembling,
 shortness of breath,
 chest pain, dizziness.
 These symptoms are so severe that the person may actually
believe he or she is having a heart attack.
 In fact, many, if not most of the diagnoses of Panic Disorder are
made by a physician in a hospital emergency room.
B) Agoraphobia literally means fear of the marketplace.
 It refers to a series of symptoms where the person fears, and
often avoids, situations where escape or help might not be
available, such as shopping centers, grocery stores, or other10
public place.
 represent an
intense fear and an avoidance of a specific situation, person,

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place, or thing.
D) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by
obsessions (thoughts which seem uncontrollable) and compulsions
(behaviors which act to reduce the obsession).
Most people think of compulsive hand washers or people with an
intense fear of dirt or of being infected. These obsessions and
compulsions are disruptive to the person's everyday life, with
sometimes hours being spent each day repeating things,
which were completed successfully already such as

E) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) occurs only after a

person is exposed to a traumatic event where their life or someone
else's life is threatened.
 The most common examples are
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CON,T
F) Generalized Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when a person
has extreme anxiety in nearly every part of their life.

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 It is not associated with just open places (as in agoraphobia),
specific 95 situations (as in specific phobia), or a traumatic
event (as in PTSD).
 The anxiety must be significant enough to disrupt the person's
everyday life for a diagnosis to be made.

 is a type of mental disorder in which you have a rigid

and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning and
behaving.
 A person with a personality disorder has trouble
perceiving and relating to situations and people.
 Personality Disorders are characterized by an enduring
pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving which is
significantly different from the person's culture and
results in negative consequences.
 This pattern must be longstanding and inflexible for a 12
diagnosis to be made.
 There are around nine types of personality disorders,
1) Paranoid (includes a pattern of distrust and suspiciousness).
2) Schizoid (pattern of detachment from social norms and a

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restriction of emotions).
3) Schizotypal (pattern of discomfort in close relationships and
eccentric thoughts and behaviors).
4) Antisocial (pattern of disregard for the rights of others,
including violation of these rights and the failure to feel
empathy).
5) Borderline (pattern of instability in personal relationships, including
frequent bouts of clinginess and affection and anger and resentment,
often cycling between these two extremes rapidly).
6) Histrionic (pattern of excessive emotional behavior and
attention seeking).
7) Narcissistic (pattern of grandiosity, exaggerated self-worth, and
need for admiration).
8) Avoidant (pattern of feelings of social inadequacies, low self-
esteem, and hypersensitivity to criticism).
9) Obsessive-Compulsive (pattern of obsessive cleanliness,
perfection, and control).
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Treatment of mental illnesses can take various

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forms.
They can include medication, talktherapy, a
combination of both, and can last only one
session or take many years to complete.
Many different types of treatment are
available, but most agree that the core
components of psychotherapy remain the same.
Psychotherapy consists of the following:
1. A positive, healthy relationship between a client or
patient and a trained psychotherapist
2. Recognizable mental health issues, whether
diagnosable or not
3. Agreement on the basic goals of treatment
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4. Working together as a team to achieve these goals
Providing psychological treatment to individuals with some
kind of psychological problems is .

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When providing psychotherapy, there are several issues to
be considered.
First and foremost is .
It is a requirement for a successful practitioner to be able to
understand his or her client's feelings, thoughts, and
behaviors.
Second, being nonjudgmental is vital if the relationship and
treatment are going to work.
 Everybody makes mistakes, everybody does stuff they aren't
proud of. If your therapist judges you, then you don't feel safe
talking about similar issues again.
The therapist must have experience with issues similar to
yours, be abreast of the research, and be adequately trained.
The three main branches include Cognitive, Behavioral, and
Dynamic. 15
 Therapy is most often thought of as a one-on-one
relationship between a client or patient and a

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therapist.
 Group sizes differ, ranging from three or four to
upwards of 15 or 20,
 Therapy can also take place in smaller groups
consisting of a couple or a family.
 In this type of treatment, the issues to be worked on
are centered around the relationship.
 There is often an educational component, like other
forms of therapy, such as communication training,
and couples and families are encouraged to work
together as a team rather than against each other.
is to facilitate healthy interaction,
encourage the couple or family to gain insight into their
own behaviors, and to teach the members to listen to and
respect each other. 16